One Couple, Two Businesses

By

Charnice A. Milton

Frederick Hill, III, and his wife Reinta aren’t your usual Ward 8 couple. Happily married since January 1, 2011, they have been together for the last ten years. Their home is a testament to how well they work together. She designed their small fireplace in the living room and a Japanese-style garden in the backyard, and he built them. Even after 30 years in the workforce, both created two different small businesses to address two different needs: Frederick is the president and CEO of Gotta Go Now, LLC, a portable toilet rental business, and Reinta is the owner and proprietor of Angel’s Arena Child Care, LLC, which grew out of her love for children. Running both businesses in their home on the 1400 block of Bangor Street has allowed them to create job opportunities in their community while giving back.

Gotta Go Now, LLC

Frederick had worked as a contractor for 30 years when he noticed that some of his clients didn’t receive the best service when it came to portable toilet (“porta-potty”) rentals. So in 2006 he bought three portable toilet units from a construction company. “One day, one person asked if they could rent it for a kid’s birthday party,” he said. “After that, word got out and other people wanted to rent the porta-potties.” What started out as a need for his clients became a new business venture.

When asked how he and Reinta came up with the all-too-fitting name, they both laughed. “When we thought of the name, I really had to go to the bathroom!” said Frederick. “He kept saying, ‘I gotta go now!’” Reinta adds. “I’m already used to hearing kids say that!”

Today, Gotta Go Now is one of five portable toilet companies in the DC Metro area and the only one in the city. Targeting special events and construction companies, the firm has amassed an impressive list of satisfied customers, including Obama for America, the official reelection campaign for the President. In fact, their website includes a short testimonial thanking them for their service at their event in Richmond. Frederick owns 175 regular-sized units (with plans to buy 25 more), a special-made vacuum truck for cleaning the waste and a trailer that carries 20 units. Although the vacuum truck stays at the house, all the porta-potties are stored on his grandfather’s farm in Upper Marlboro.

For those picturing a dirty affair, Frederick noted, “it really isn’t as bad as you think. The vacuum usually takes care of the dirty work and the hands only touch the hose.” Despite this, Frederick, everyone still wears protective gear while cleaning each unit. After the vacuuming is done, each unit is power-washed, wiped-down and sprayed with deodorizer.

Although Gotta Go Now has two part-time employees (with plans to hire at least one more along with one full-time employee), the Hills’ families and neighbors help out from time to time, especially before huge events. They host “cleaning parties” either at home or at the farm to get all the units ready. “When we have a cleaning party, we would line up the units in the street, and everyone pitches in to help clean,” Frederick says. “Everyone eats pizza and chicken, and she cooks,” referring to his wife.

Fredrick isn’t the only person in the family in the portable toilet business. Reinta has her own venture, Pint Size Potty, making Gotta Go Now the only company on the East Coast that provides child-sized porta-potties. The idea for Pint Size Potty came during a trip to a “pumper,” a portable toilet company convention, in Indiana, when an associate suggested that Reinta enter a prize drawing. Despite facing a pool of over 5000 people, Reinta won the grand prize: a TJ Shorty portable toilet that was small enough for a child. Today she has two “pint size potties” available for rent, with plans to purchase two more this winter. While both are stored at the farm, she sometimes keeps one at home for her other business.

Angel’s Arena Child Care, LLC and Godchildren

Reinta founded Angel’s Arena Child Care, LLC, less than three years ago. “I had been working at the US Postal Service Federal Credit Union for 30 years,” she says, “and my tax consultant told me, ‘You should start a daycare. You love children! You have good business sense!’” Reinta laughs at the memory, but it’s obvious that she loves her job.

Named for her affinity for collecting and receiving angel memorabilia, Reinta runs Angel’s Arena from her living room; the spacious backyard doubles as an outdoor play area. Reinta owes her business to word-of-mouth advertising based on results. Her curriculum includes Spanish, language skills and math; even at the age of two, her charges can count and say their name if asked. “Parents were showing off what their children were learning, and people got interested.”

Some of the word of mouth came from Reinta’s godchildren, who now have children under her care. Altogether, 61 godchildren and two foster children come though the Hills’ home. The practice began when her daughter took dance lessons as a child. “There were two girls in her class that lived with their grandfather,” Reinta said. “They didn’t have a mother figure in their lives, so I helped them with costumes and hair.” Since then, she always kept her door open for neighborhood children, acting as a mother figure for those who need one. “This used to be the house where kids came to have fun,” she observed. In a way, it still is. The collages of past and present charges hanging in the kitchen are proof of that.

Angel’s Arena is currently looking for new charges. Reinta is in the process of getting approval from the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in order to admit families with school vouchers.

Giving Back to the Community

Even with running three businesses, Frederick and Reinta Hill still have time to plan and host community events. For years their backyard has been the venue for “Honor a Child, Elevate a Mind,” a summer cookout honoring children’s scholastic achievements. Next summer they plan to host an outdoor movie night in which children have to do one act of service to get in. One of Reinta’s favorite events is the “Tea for Two” Grandparent’s Day event she does with her godchildren. “The boys would escort the grandparents while the girls would make tea sandwiches,” she explains. “Then, the children serve the older adults – except the tea!”

One venture gives Frederick a chance to highlight his hobby: auto racing. So far, Gotta Go Now has sponsored five legal drag races this year. The most recent, the Gambler’s Race for Custom T’s of DC’s Battle on the Hill, was held last month. Winners usually receive $1000 to $1250 in prize money and children are always free. As with cleaning parties, each race is a celebration, especially when Fredrick races his 1972 Chevy Nova outfitted with Gotta Go Now’s logo. “Yeah, it’s good advertising,” he said, “but it’s always important to give back.”